Florida High School Graduation Rates: Up
Posted May 26, 2015 07:15 am
TALLAHASSEE,
FL - High school graduation rates are up in Florida by
almost five percent from 2011 to 2013, according to the
2015 Building a Grad Nation report.
While the new numbers put Florida in the top 10 in an
increase of high school graduates, the state's 75.6
percent graduation rate is still below the national
average of 81 percent.
John Bridgeland, CEO of Civic Enterprises and co-author
of the Building a Grad Nation report, says there are
clear advantages to earning a high school diploma.
"Students who drop out of high school are
disproportionately more likely to be unemployed," says
Bridgeland. "They are more likely to be in prison, more
likely to be on welfare, have higher healthcare costs
and, sadly, more likely to go on to have children who
also end up dropping out of high school."
According to the report, for the third year in a row the
U.S. remains on pace to achieve a national goal of 90
percent on-time high school graduation by 2020.
To increase the number of students graduating, the
report recommends expanding the use of early-warning
systems that can indicate a child needs intervention,
and more equitable state funding so low-income and
affluent students have the same opportunities.
According to the report, graduation rates increased
nationally among low-income students over the past three
years, but remain lower than graduation rates for middle
and upper class students. Report co-author Robert
Balfanz, co-director of the Everyone Graduates Center at
Johns Hopkins University, says poverty is taxing on a
student's success, making it more difficult to attend
and focus.
"They really need mentors and tutors and folks that can
help nag and nurture," says Balfanz. "To make sure if
they're not in school to call them to figure out 'can we
get you to school by 10 o'clock? What's the issue and
how can we solve it?'"
While an increasing number of students with disabilities
are completing high school, the report found students
with disabilities in Florida graduate at a rate of only
52 percent.
Photos/graphics; links: added/updated by the Observer
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